Imagine going to the emergency room in severe pain only to be met with apathy and unprofessionalism. TikToker Brooklynn (Bend with Brooklynn) faced this when she went to the Altus Lumberton Hospital in Texas after dislocating her jaw. The footage garnered over 11.7 million views and showed Brooklynn on a triage bed, clearly in significant distress while her mother advocated for her.
In the caption of her post, Brooklyn told TikTok, “I have severe hEDS and TMJ, but I’ve never had something this traumatic before. My jaw dislocated at 4:00am.” She noted that after she called the ambulance, “I was throwing up, having a panic attack and trying not to pass out from the pain. When EMS arrived they said ‘come on let’s go’ meaning they couldn’t help at the house, so we decided to drive ourselves to Altus.”
Brooklyn claimed, “When we got there everyone was taking their sweet time.” Her mother laid out the problem, and they were taken to a triage or treatment room. This is where the video picks up. When the doctor finally arrived, the on-screen text noted that he just stared at her for a while, prompting her mother to ask, ”Are we stunned?” The doctor responded, “No, I’m just trying to figure out why she’s freaking out.”
Pain that was dismissed
In the video, Brooklyn not only looked like she was in pain, but you could also hear her gasping. So when he said this, Brooklyn lets out a pained, “What!” The doctor immediately seems to mock her, repeating the word back at her. Then Brooklyn’s mother firmly interjected, stating, “Because she’s got numerous issues and she’s in severe pain. Of course she’s freaking out.”
@bendwithbrooklynn I have severe hEDS and TMJ, but I’ve never had something this traumatic before. My jaw dislocated at 4:00am. I rushed into my moms room to wake her up and they called the ambulance. I was throwing up, having a panic attack and trying not to pass out from the pain. When EMS arrived they said “come on let’s go” meaning they couldn’t help at the house, so we decided to drive ourselves to Altus. When we got there everyone was taking their sweet time. The nurse who wheeled me back asked “so what’s going on today” as if you couldn’t tell.. as if I could speak. So my mom said my jaw is dislocated. I waited a while for the doctor to get in and once he did this is what happened.. the video cuts off since my moms phone wasn’t working. At the end he said “I’m just trying to figure out if she did it by throwing up.”So my mom said I yawned and now I’m throwing up from the pain and gastroparesis and then she asked if he’s ever done this before and he said yes with an attitude. He said his niece deals with the same issue and he could pop it back in for me, but then proceeded to just stare at me. She asked so are you gonna put it back in and he said “ I don’t know” he ended up storming out a few minutes after this since we wouldnt deal with his attitude. Later on I was given nausea medicine and morphine, and they did the scans while I was out. The doctor popped it back in while I was under morphine so I don’t even remember that part. My jaw was dislocated for 3 hours and 15 minutes. I’m so tired of being treated this way. I knew I would have to wait for X-rays but this was a doctor prolonging care. I will be making a formal complaint and contacting the Texas medical board #TMJ #hEDS #traumatized
♬ original sound – Bend With Brooklynn🦓
The doctor seemed incredibly dismissive through the interaction. He didn’t even react when the mother asked Brooklyn, “You wanna stay? You wanna transfer?” Shortly after this, the video cuts out. She explained what happened after, in the captions. Please note, outside of the video, all we have is her perspective, which cannot be verified.
She alleged, “He said, ‘I’m just trying to figure out if she did it by throwing up.’ So my mom said I yawned and now I’m throwing up from the pain and gastroparesis and then she asked if he’s ever done this before and he said yes with an attitude. He said his niece deals with the same issue and he could pop it back in for me, but then proceeded to just stare at me.” When her mother asked if he was going to pop the jaw back into place, he replied, “I don’t know.”
Brooklyn claimed that he then stormed out because they “wouldnt deal with his attitude,” She was eventually given nausea medication and morphine during which time the doctor fixed her jaw. “My jaw was dislocated for 3 hours and 15 minutes,” she wrote. She then claimed, “I’m so tired of being treated this way. I knew I would have to wait for X-rays but this was a doctor prolonging care. I will be making a formal complaint and contacting the Texas medical board.”
@bendwithbrooklynn How I dislocated my jaw and answering some questions 🦓🫶#hEDS #TMJ #chronicillnessawareness
♬ original sound – Bend With Brooklynn🦓
TikTok was outraged on her behalf. One user commented, “Oooh hearing him mock you saying hello sent me into a rage. please report him, that is absolutely not someone who should be working with patients.” Many others praised her mother, with one commenter noting, “I’m obsessed with your mom sassing him. Bravo.”
Brooklynn posted a follow-up video confirming that the hospital is investigating the incident. She shared a letter from the CEO of Altus Lumberton Hospital that expressed regret for the experience and mentioned, “a full review is now underway.”
The hospital also stated, “Please know that we have already begun implementing improvement based on the concerns you shared.” Brooklynn expressed that while she hopes for a resolution, she is ready to move on from the situation because the doctor did eventually help her. In the comments, one user noted: “Internal investigations never lead anywhere, they usually say that to cover their a**.”
@bendwithbrooklynn The hospital is actually investigating it?!? 🤞 #TMJ #heds #chronicillness #greenscreen
♬ original sound – Bend With Brooklynn🦓
If you are ever in a position where you feel mistreated by a medical professional, it is important to understand the limitations of oversight boards. According to the law firm Simmons and Fletcher, not all complaints fall under the jurisdiction of the Texas Medical Board. While the board investigates professional incompetency or dangerous conduct, they generally do not handle complaints regarding poor bedside manner, rudeness, or inappropriate remarks.
Those issues are typically directed to the medical society to which the practitioner belongs. If a patient suspects medical negligence, Simmons and Fletcher suggest consulting with a medical malpractice attorney. It should be noted that you have to prove harm to be able to sue for negligence. Negligence is defined as a deviation from the accepted standard of care.
